Word: abscam
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Dates: during 1980-1980
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...Abscam and Brilab, those FBI "sting" operations that sound like computer-named detergents, last week produced more indictments and against the biggest names yet. The Abscam (short for Arab scam) investigation led a federal grand jury in Brooklyn to indict Democratic Congressmen Frank Thompson of New Jersey and John Murphy of New York on charges of bribery and conspiracy. Brilab (for bribery labor) resulted in a New Orleans grand jury naming Mafia Kingfish Carlos ("Little Man") Marcello on counts of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud. So far, Abscam has led to indictments of five Congressmen, all accused of accepting bribes from...
Thompson and Murphy denied guilt, but under House Democratic caucus rules, both resigned their committee chairmanships pending the outcome of their trials. As part of the Abscam investigations, the federal grand jury in Brooklyn is now hearing evidence against New Jersey Democratic Senator Harrison Williams. The Brilab operation, targeted against racketeering in the South and Southwest, led to the indictment of quite a different kind of figure. Long the reputed godfather of organized crime along the Gulf Coast, Carlos Marcello, 70, is suspected of running an empire whose illegal gambling operations alone reportedly grossed more than $500 million annually...
When the first tales were told of the Abscam operation, in which FBI agents masquerading as Arab millionaires bribed various Congressmen and local politicians, there were complaints that nobody had been charged, much less indicted. Last week the indictments began...
Byrne has asked students for input about budget cuts and for their opinions about the federal Abscam operation that investigated him. Students say Byrne makes himself available and he says he puts a substantial amount of time into preparing the weekly three-hour seminar...
...perhaps the size, sweep and nature of the FBI operation made early publication inevitable. (Rosenthal even deplores the name Abscam, which is short for Arab scam: "I wouldn't like it if the FBI had a Jewscam.") But there's still something disquieting about the way the press protects those whose leaks jeopardize due process of law or disclose security information. The Times, in listing the motives of leakers, says that some fear that superiors may override their findings, some long for personal credit, others with a grudge may want to punish a politician "with publicity even...